In the sequel to EVOCATION, the start of the Summoner’s Circle series, we see the ripple effects of Rhys’ ascension to power as High Priest. Juggling beuracracy, relationships and demons alike, Rhys is starting to feel the heat— and growing more frayed and desperate to hold onto his power in the process.
If you know anything about my taste in books, you likely know that I am a S.T. Gibson fanboy to my core. Their writing has yet to disappoint, and it really seems they are only refining their craft more with time. I loved EVOCATION dearly, as well as the prequel novella ODD SPIRITS, but… when I tell you I heard the next book was centered around Rhys? OOOOH, my little emo, religiously-conflicted, perfectionist heart started tap dancing.
Ascension is a delightful expansion on the relationships, politics and magic established in EVOCATION, with the same outstanding internal conflict that truly highlights Gibson’s expertise of weaving the internal and external together in a plot. This whole book tackles guilt, shame, and ambition with a firm but gentle hand, all while sprinkling in teachings about different forms of magical practice and showing no neglect to its romances.
TLDR; I knew this would be a five star read, and it did not disappoint. I was enchanted from start to finish, and I found myself fighting the urge to read at times to try and savor it for longer. If you love the supernatural with a romantic, soapy edge, this walks that line without losing its focus. It’s comforting, like rewatching your favourite supernatural CW show with your best friend.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ascension by S T Gibson builds on the magical world and atmosphere created in Evocation, but this time it really digs in deeper to these characters and feels a little less rushed. Book 1 felt like there was no time to develop anything between plot points, but Ascension really focuses on character this time. I really enjoyed watching these people essentially get put into a pressure cooker and see them clash and their dynamics evolve. It was still a fast paced read and I read it in almost one sitting. I dol appreciate the fact that Gibson has shown growth now, and it only makes me more excited for the next installment.

Quick very high level summary.

Rhys McGowan is new to his role as the High Priest of a prestigious yet very secretive occult Society in Boston. David is his number two at the society and Moira is right there for both her husband and David. Rhys has always craved power and recognition, but now, even after becoming High Priest he seems to only crave more. Then to top it off a mysterious ritual is causing disruptions and threatens to expose the Society.

Review.

I loved A Dowry of Blood so I really wanted to love this. I enjoyed the dark focus on magic, demon-summoning, and all things secret occult society. The novel continues to explore humanities obsession with power, ambition, and love with all the complexities that come with a polyamorous relationship. This novel seems to move slower to me then the first. I assume this was on purpose but I found myself loosing interest at times. I wanted more occult, more demon summoning but I feel like I got more polyamorous relationship and romance. Which is not bad if that is what you are looking for. Over all a good read with lots of emotion and romance but not enough occult for me.

Ascension picks up where the last book left off, and Rhys is struggling to balance his new role as High Priest with his relationships with David and Moira. While this still had some of the interesting magic of the first book, the relationships felt lacking and started to lose some appeal. It could just be that things were strained and I got bored with that aspect of the story and wanted it to move on.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Despite my personal problems with Rhys, this book is where the series really picks up and draws you in. The poly drama gets intense in this one, without jealousy in the core trio, but focusing largely on scheduling and priorities. We get a better grasp of the larger occult scene.

As addictive as the story is, Rhys’s downward spiral is so frustrating to witness that I needed to take breaks so I wouldn’t throw my phone. Gibson wisely intersperses his avaricious stupidity with David’s continued personal growth following Evocation, Moira’s thoughtful contemplation of the changes in life, and more fleshing out of the rest of our regular characters.

Without spoiling anything, I liked how this one wrapped up, and I’m looking forward to Moira’s book.

4⭐️
The writing seemed quite choppy as it did in the previous book it seemed to jump from one thing to another without much connection

The book doesn’t follow the plot I expected from it, I was expecting for it to continue with the demon plot line from the first book but this had a completely different plot which I enjoyed but wasn’t expecting

I still didn’t love the relationship between David and Rhys I just didn’t understand why it kept saying how much they loved each other but showed very little of them together except for when they r arguing. By the end of the book I liked them abit more as it showed them actually talking more but still not sure why they are so drawn to each other
I also didn’t like how they made Rhys and Moria’s relationship seem more important than Rhys and David and Moria and David it felt like just because they r married their relationship was seen as more important which I really didn’t like all of the relationships should be equal to each other

I continue to love the inter weaving of magic and religion and how one shapes the other it was a great way to portray how different peoples magic works and how they view it based on how they were raised

This book was a lot more character focused than the first one which I wasn’t expecting we got to know a lot of Rhys inner thoughts which was interesting and we got the see as his thought got progressively more jumbled because of the demons which added an extra element to the book that I really enjoyed

I feel like moira was less of an important character is this book and we didn’t get to see overly much of her so I am excited to see her in the next book where the focus will be more on her

There was a few grammatical and spelling errors however this was an arc so I assume that will be fixed before release


Overall the book was very engaging however some of the issues I had with the first book continued in this book. I also think if people are expecting the plot to be follow on from the last book, then they will be disappointed and should be aware that while the demon plot still plays a role kind of it is not the main plot at all and this focuses more on Rhys character and issues he is having over anything else

Thank you Netgalley and angry robot For the digital arc

Rep- multiple poly characters, bi mmc, gay mmc, black fmc, queer and poc side characters

Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book! Potential SPOILERS for <i>Evocation</i>.

Dare I say that this book is better than the first one? I absolutely loved it. There’s so much character and relationship growth coupled with a new and intriguing plot; it’s truly a wonder.

Rhys has been appointed to High Priest of the Society, a role he has sought since he joined. Little did he know how taxing keeping a society afloat, with all its infighting, debt, and lack of interest. As the stress begins to overwhelm him, he begins to pull more and more demons into his storehouse, opening himself up to become a man that he never wanted to be.

This book hugely focuses on Rhys and his own emotional growth. We honestly watch him break and build himself back up. There were points where I was so angry at him and so glad he was getting retribution, as I imagine many of the characters in the book felt as well, but I was also glad to see him comforted.

S.T. Gibson truly pulled me into the world of these characters and made me feel what they felt. They are so flawed in their own ways that they truly feel real. I’m not entirely sure that this book isn’t a biography if we’re being honest.

The plot of this book did a really good job with propelling the character arcs forward and not pulling attention from them. This book is more focused on the internal of these characters and has less of the power grappling within the Society. There are, of course, still outside forces like the Society and new characters, but the plot is subtle and exists to push Rhys onto the correct path.

I thought this book was a beautiful blend of romance and anger, power and submission, and knowing oneself enough to know when to stop. It’s an intense character analysis and very emotional. Impactful in its entirety.

4.25 stars

Ohh Rhys’s book was messy, stressy and a bit depressy in the most entertaining ways! Chock full of Catholic guilt, angst and smut, this was a great installment to the series.

S.T. Gibson the genius that you are. I had a marvellous time reading Evocation and could not wait for this book and it absolutely delivered. The continuation of the relationships, the growth of our characters and the communication!!!! It was everything, I am screaming for more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot Books for this ARC! All thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.

Themes: Spiritualism; Relationships; Fortune-Telling; Tarot; Queer; Polyamory; Secret Societies; Magical Systems; Religious Traditions; Divinity; Magical Communities.

Ascension offers a much slower continuation of the series, shifting focus from David to Rhys and diving deeply into his internal struggles, perfectionism, and imposter syndrome with realistic honesty. Unlike Evocation's fast-paced plot, Ascension leans heavily into character psychology. Hence, the narrative is character-driven than plot-driven. Rhys’s rise to High Priest is less about power and more about pressure and weight of expectations (basically, imo he gaslights himself a lot). He’s a difficult character - arrogant, self-destructive and often frustrating, but I can appreciate his complexity and character growth nonetheless. Yet sadly, after reading his book, I understand that I'm still not one of the target audience members who are in love with him (which is ironic for me as it's his book for crying out loud haha). The worldbuilding feels richer here, and I appreciate the aspect of magic/non-magic community dynamics.

Even though it's a solid sequel and holds its own, I was more invested by drama, magic and mayhem in Evocation. There were also some moments that puzzled me here. And as I mentioned in my previous reviews (Evocation and Odd Spirits), I much more preferred Moira and David's chapters than Rhys's. A lot of times it felt like his thoughts and actions are going back-and-forth, and a lot of problems are dragged out. Plus, as I was annoyed with him since the first 2 stories, the feeling was still persistent here.

EVOCATION (David), ASCENSION (Rhys), DIVINATION (Moira, 2027), and TRANSMUTATION (Leda, 2028).

Actual rating: 3.5

I really wanted to like this one but it just wasn't as good as the first one. I struggled to get into it and kept putting it down to read something else instead. My favorite part was the throuple stuff that really took a backseat until the last 5%. I didn't really care for the mystery plot and the resolution was meh. All of the characters felt like they lost any of the growth they made in the first book so it was frustrating to go back to dumb conflicts and lack of communication. I think I still would read another book in the series since I like the characters just hoping for a better plot.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Admittedly, Rhys wasn’t my favorite in Evocation. He felt like the chaotic side character I loved watching implode from a safe distance. But in Ascension, with the spotlight squarely on him, I found myself unexpectedly invested. This is very much his book, for better and for worse.
As the newly crowned High Priest, Rhys is juggling political power, magical responsibility, a psychic boyfriend, and a witch wife, plus a few too many demons, both literal and personal. The result is a high-stakes, high-drama ride through Boston’s occult underworld, dripping with arcane detail and sharp emotional edges.
This sequel leans into everything that made the first book work: secret societies, messy relationships, morally questionable rituals. The writing is confident and stylish, with some deliciously dark set pieces and a few scenes that genuinely surprised me. And while Rhys’s ego still grated at times, his vulnerability and ambition made for a compelling and occasionally tragic portrait of a man who just might destroy himself in the name of love.
Pacing lags slightly in the middle, and not every emotional beat hit as hard as I hoped, but the final act more than made up for it. A satisfying continuation that deepens the world and raises the stakes without losing its core charm.
I’ll definitely be reading book three. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Having read the first book in this series, (and every other book S.T Gibson has ever published) I had high hopes going into this sequel. And my god were they met. This book does such a good job of adding to the established world of the first without feeling repetitive. It can be difficult to add new characters in a sequel and make them compelling, but I felt that all additions were just as compelling as our core cast. And now I have to patiently wait for the next installment.

Thanks so much to Angry Robot and Netgalley for the arc!

This book deals with Rhys having to shoulder the pressure of being what he always wanted to be: High Priest of the Society. We see all the struggles he goes through, all the doubt and anxiety that he has about filling up this role. The immense power that he has to carry to be able to be the leader to a whole society of magical people. He also struggles a lot with his ambition, to amount even more power, to be the most powerful sorcerer.

And admist all of this Rhys, Moira and David also go through changes in their relationship. Navigating polyamory, and how it affects other parts of their respective lives.

I do also love that we got to see more of side-characters like Leda, Antoni, Nathan and Kitty. And i´m really excited to see more of Leda in her own book, book 4 Transmutation!

Overall i think i liked Ascension a bit less than Evocation or Odd Spirits. The main reason for that is that the plot of the book was underwhelming to me. This book mainly focused on the evolving relationship between Rhys, Moira and David. And where i do like that ( i will ALWAYS eat up cozy scenes between Moira and David ), i do also wish that the overall plot would have been a little more entertaining. I especially have to know more about a certain Mephisto ... hint hint

There are a few things I know for sure: the moon controls the tides, carbs are sacred, and I would read Saint Gibson’s shopping list if she let me. I’ve already offered to bribe her for it. Honestly, it might be the only thing that could tide me over between releases. Because there is nothing — I repeat, nothing — that this woman writes that I won’t devour like a witch-starved gremlin with a library card and a blood pact.

Ascension is poetic chaos at its finest. This series already had me by the throat, but Rhys’s descent into ambition-fueled meltdown territory? Inject it directly into my veins. Saint doesn’t just write books — she writes emotional autopsies. Every line feels like a quiet blade under the skin, exposing desire, resentment, devotion, grief, and the messy grey of being human. And she somehow makes it sexy.

Yes, Rhys is insufferable. He’s moody, broody, obsessed with control and convinced no one can carry the weight but him. So naturally, I loved him even more. Watching him spiral under the pressure of leadership, love, and demonic deals felt like watching a lit candle burn at both ends while pretending it’s just ambiance. And don’t get me started on David and Moira — chaotic good and ethereal rage and holy compassion all wrapped up in glorious queer magic. Their dynamic is so well written I forgot I was reading a book and not eavesdropping on sacred pillow talk.

Look, I know I’m biased. This series is pure soul-food for the queer, witchy, overachieving heart. The prose? Lush. The pacing? Perfect. The character arcs? Devastating in all the right ways. It is my life’s mission to earn a seat in Saint’s coven, or at the very least be granted visitation rights to her character outlines.

Ascension is everything I hoped for and more — dark, devastating, reverent, and real. If you need me, I’ll be rereading the last chapter and trying to hex time into speeding up until the next book.

I was so excited to dive back into this mystical world with Moira, David and Rhys. Their polyamorous coupledom alone is a captivating plot, but adding the Boston magical underground, a snowy trip to VT and a shout-out to my favorite real life coffee shop in Salem and it's a given that this book is going to be 5-stars for me.

There's so many plot elements this book outside the complex relationship aspects: internal conflict within Rhys, jealously with Max/David/Rhys, how to be a leader, managing reputation, and solving a little who did it mystery. It sounds overwhelming but you have to trust the storytelling that ST Gibson weaves together and just enjoy the ride. And it's so worth it. I've been waiting since the early pages of book one for the damn last chapter in this book and the wait was so worth it.

While the first part of this book did drag for me, I did enjoy it. I love the characters of Moria, David & Rhys and at this point if they are in it I will read it. This isn’t a series that’s going to be for everyone but I think those who love it will be in it for the long haul. I do wish we could see more of Max however.

I was so unbelievably happy that the incredible characters and intriguing plot continue in full force. In my opinion the reason this series continues to haunt my mind is the complex character dynamics. I don't think I've seen polyamorous relationships done so well in a series and im so excited to see how Moria, Rhys and David relationships will evolve. How will I survive until the next installment in do not know.

This was a great book!
I was dying to read this the minute I finished Evocation, as I wasn’t ready to let these characters go. I loved the change in Rhys, how he literally faced his demons and overcame them, and how his relationships came out stronger because of it.
I still love David—he was so much happier in this book than in the first, and I was happy he was still so much a part of this story.
I would love to see more of Moria, as I don’t feel these two books went into very much depth about her.

The story here was exciting, and I loved the way it all came to an end. There were some tense moments where I wasn’t sure everything was going to be okay, but through love and hard work, the three made it happen.

I really hope there’s more to this series—I still want to know how they overcome David’s family curse!

This was absolutely amazing! 5/5 stars! I was a little scared at first that I wouldn't enjoy this as much as the first book but I was happy to be wrong! I really enjoyed the main three's character development and also the development of their relationship with one another. It was also nice to get more interaction with the other important people in their lives such as Kitty, Antoni, Nathan, and Leda. I enjoyed this book and can't wait to see everyone in Moira's book! 🥰